VENTILATION SYSTEM

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001]The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0168640, filed Nov. 22, 2024, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2025-0059326, filed May 7, 2025, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002]The present disclosure relates to a ventilation system, and more particularly, to a heat recovery ventilation system.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

[0003]A ventilation system is a device that exhausts polluted room air to the outdoor side and supplies fresh outdoor air to the indoor side, thereby maintaining the freshness of room air at a certain level.

[0004]Heat recovery ventilation systems, which reduce energy loss by recovering waste heat, are commonly used in general homes, and these heat recovery ventilation systems are provided with a total heat exchanger exchanging heat between polluted room air and fresh outdoor air in order to recover waste heat.

[0005]These ventilation systems are each provided with flanges through which outdoor air, ventilation, supply air, exhaust air, and the like flow, and each flange is connected with a duct connected to the outdoor space or the indoor space. However, such a ventilation system has suffered from a problem that the duct should be bent or it is impossible to install the duct depending on the wall drilling location of the ceiling where it is installed.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

Patent Documents

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Problems to be Solved

[0009]It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a ventilation system in which the connection direction of a duct can be changed.

[0010]The present disclosure may have other purposes besides the aforementioned one, which are clearly recognizable to a person skilled in the art from the description below.

Means of Solving the Problems

[0011]In order to achieve the object, a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a case having a corner space formed as an open space at a corner of a part into which outdoor air or room air is introduced, a total heat exchanger disposed inside the case to exchange heat between outdoor air and room air, a flange panel coupled to the corner space of the case to allow a direction in which outdoor air or room air is introduced to be changeable.

[0012]In order to achieve the object, a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a case into which outdoor air and room air flow, a flange connected with a duct into which outdoor air or room air flows, and a flange panel coupled with the flange and coupled to the case to allow a direction in which the duct is coupled to be changed between two mutually orthogonal directions.

[0013]Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

Advantageous Effects

[0014]According to the ventilation system of the present disclosure, one or more of the following effects are achieved.

[0015]First, it has the advantage of making variable the direction in which the duct is connected by changing the direction of the flange.

[0016]Second, it has the advantage of easily changing the flange direction simply by rotating and mounting the flange panel supporting the flange because the flange panel is formed in a symmetrical structure.

[0017]Third, it has the advantage of maintaining the smooth air inflow regardless of the change of the flange direction because the damper allowing or stopping the inflow of air is disposed toward the corner.

[0018]The present disclosure can provide other effects besides the ones described above, which are clearly recognizable to a person skilled in the art from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021]FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating the removal of components of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022]FIG. 4 is an internal structural diagram of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a ventilation system with the varied flange direction, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024]FIG. 6 is an internal structural diagram of a ventilation system with the varied flange direction, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a flange panel and a flange according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS

[0027]Advantages and features of the present disclosure, and a method of achieving the advantages and features will become apparent when referring to the following embodiments described later in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments as disclosed below, but may be embodied in various different forms. Thus, these embodiments are set forth only to make the present disclosure complete, and to completely inform the scope of the present disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs. Throughout the detailed description, like reference numerals refer to like components.

[0028]Although the terms “first”, “second”, and so on are used to describe various components, these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one component from another component, and unless specifically stated to the contrary, it should be understood that a first component may also be a second component.

[0029]Throughout the specification, unless specifically stated to the contrary, each element may be singular or plural.

[0030]Hereinafter, the phrase “any configuration is disposed in the upper side of (or in the lower side of) a component” or “on (or below) a component” may mean not only that any configuration is disposed in contact with the upper surface (or lower surface) of said component, but also that another configuration may be interposed between said component and any configuration disposed on (or below) said component.

[0031]Additionally, when a component is described as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “contacted” to another component, it should be understood that although the both components may be directly connected, coupled or contacted to each other, a third component may also be “interposed” between the both components, or the both components may be “connected,” “coupled,” or “contacted” to each other through a third component.

[0032]As used herein, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Herein, the terms “be comprised of” or “comprise” should not be construed to necessarily include all of the various components or various steps described in the specification, and should be construed to mean that some of the components or some of the steps may not be included, or that additional components or steps may be included.

[0033]Throughout the disclosure, the phrase “A and/or B” means A, B, or A and B, unless otherwise specified, and the phrase “C to D” means equal to or greater than C and equal to or smaller than D unless otherwise specified.

[0034]Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described with reference to drawings for explaining a ventilation system according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating the removal of components of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 4 is an internal structural diagram of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036]A ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a case 110 forming the exterior and into which outdoor air and room air flow, a door 130 rotatably coupled to the lower side of the case 110, a case cover 120 covering the upper surface of the case 110, an exhaust air fan 164 disposed inside the case 110 to discharge air to the outside, a supply air fan 162 disposed inside the case 110 to discharge air to the indoor side, a total heat exchanger 190 disposed in the internal center of the case 110 to exchange heat between outdoor air and room air, a control box 149 disposed inside the case 110 to control the exhaust air fan 164 and the supply air fan 162, and a control box cover 141 coupled to the case 110 to cover the control box 149.

[0037]The case 110 has a roughly rectangular parallel piped shape, and forms the exterior of the ventilation system. The case 110 has a space formed therein in which air flow paths and various parts are installed. The case 110 comprises an upper case 110a forming the upper portion and a lower case 110b forming the lower portion.

[0038]The case 110 has four flow paths formed therein through which air flows. Referring to FIG. 4, the case 110 has the following flow paths formed therein: an outdoor air flow path 111 through which air introduced from the outdoor side (outdoor air, OA) flows; an exhaust air flow path 114 through which air to be discharged to the outdoor side (exhaust air, EA) flows; a ventilation flow path 113 through which air introduced from the indoor side (room air or ventilation, RA) flows; and a supply air flow path 112 through which air to be discharged to the indoor side (supply air, SA) flows.

[0039]The case 110 has a central receiving space 118 formed therein in which a total heat exchanger 190, an outdoor air filter 181, and a ventilation filter 183 are received. The central receiving space 118 is disposed to be surrounded by the outdoor air flow path 111, the exhaust air flow path 114, the ventilation flow path 113, and the supply air flow path 112. Referring to FIG. 3, the lower side of the central receiving space 118 is open, so that the total heat exchanger 190, the outdoor air filter 181, and the ventilation filter 183 can be separated downward upon opening of the door 130.

[0040]The case 110 has an outer receiving space 119 recessed into the outer side so as to receive a control box 149. The outer receiving space 119 is disposed between the outdoor air flow path 111 and the ventilation flow path 113. Referring to FIG. 3, the lower side of the outer receiving space 119 is open, so that the control box 149 and the control box cover 141 can be separated downward upon opening of the door 130.

[0041]In the case 110, an exhaust air fan 164, a supply air fan 162, an outdoor air damper 171, a ventilation damper 173, a bypass damper 175, a circulation damper 176, an exhaust air damper 174, and a supply air damper 172. On the outer sides of the case 110, an outdoor air flange 151, a ventilation flange 153, an exhaust air flange 154, a supply air flange 152, and a control box cover 141 are disposed. On the upper side of the case 110, a case cover 120 is disposed, and on the lower side thereof, the door 130 is disposed.

[0042]The case cover 120 covers the upper surface of the case 110, and forms the exterior upper surface. The case cover 120 has a rectangular plate shape, and is coupled to the upper side of the case 110. Between the case cover 120 and the case 110 an insulating material may be provided.

[0043]The door 130 opens or closes the lower side of the case 110. The door 130 completely covers the lower surface of the case 110 when closed, or completely expose the lower surface of the case 110 when opened. The door 130 opens or closes the open lower side of the central receiving space 118, so that when opened, the total heat exchanger 190, the outdoor air filter 181, and the ventilation filter 183 can be separated downward. The door 130 opens or closes the open lower side of the outer receiving space 119, so that when opened, the control box 149 and the control box cover 141 can be separated downward.

[0044]The door 130 may be provided in plural, and, in the present embodiment, comprises a left door 130a disposed in the side of the outdoor air flange 151 and the exhaust air flange 154, and a right door 130b disposed in the side of the ventilation flange 153 and the supply air flange 152.

[0045]The exhaust air fan 164 is disposed in the exhaust air flow path 114 on the left rear in the case 110. The exhaust air fan 164 discharges room air, which is introduced through the ventilation flange 153 and then heat-exchanged in the total heat exchanger 190, to the outdoor side. The exhaust air damper 174 is disposed at the discharge port of the exhaust air fan 164. The discharge port of the exhaust air fan 164 is connected with the exhaust air flange 154. The circulation damper 176 is provided in front of the exhaust air fan 164, and the supply air fan 162 is disposed on the right side of the exhaust air fan 164.

[0046]The supply air fan 162 is disposed in the supply air flow path 112 on the right rear in the case 110. The exhaust air fan 162 discharges outdoor air, which is introduced through the outdoor air flange 151 and then heat-exchanged in the total heat exchanger 190, to the indoor side. The supply air damper 172 is disposed at the discharge port of the supply air fan 162. The discharge port of the supply air fan 162 is connected with the supply air flange 152. The bypass damper 175 is provided in front of the supply air fan 162, and the exhaust air fan 164 is disposed on the left side of the supply air fan 162.

[0047]The total heat exchanger 190 is disposed in the central receiving space 118 in the center of the case 110. The total heat exchanger 190 is disposed to be surrounded by the outdoor air flow path 111, the exhaust air flow path 114, the ventilation flow path 113, and the supply air flow path 112. The outdoor air filter 181 is disposed on the front left side of the total heat exchanger 190; the ventilation filter 183 is disposed on the front right side thereof; the exhaust air fan 164 is disposed on the rear left side thereof; and the supply air fan 162 is disposed on the rear right side thereof. The total heat exchanger 190 can be removed downward from the case 110 upon opening of the door 130.

[0048]The total heat exchanger 190 exchanges heat between outdoor air flowing from the outdoor air flow path 111 to the supply air flow path 112 and room air flowing from the ventilation air flow path 113 to the exhaust air flow path 114. The total heat exchanger 190 comprises a plurality of liners and a plurality of spacers forming a plurality of intersecting flow paths so that outdoor air and room air can flow crossing each other.

[0049]The control box 149 is disposed in the outer receiving space 119 at the front center in the case 110. The control box 149 is disposed between the outdoor air flow path 111 and the ventilation flow path 113. The control box 149 is disposed between the outdoor air flange 151 and the ventilation flange 153. The outdoor air flange 151 is disposed in the left side of the control box 149, the ventilation flange 153 is disposed in the right side thereof, and the control box cover 141 is disposed in the front side thereof. The control box 149 is coupled to the case 110, and can be separated downward from the case 110 upon opening of the door 130.

[0050]In the control box 149, there are provided electronic components such as a printed circuit board, an integrated circuit, and the like. The control box 149 controls the outdoor air damper 171, the ventilation damper 173, the bypass damper 175, the circulation damper 176, the exhaust air damper 174, the supply air damper 172, the exhaust air fan 164, and the supply air fan 162, while supplying power to them.

[0051]The control box cover 141 is disposed in the front center of the case 110. The control box cover 141 is an L-shaped panel covering the front surface and the lower surface of the control box 149. The control box cover 141 shields the outer receiving space 119. The control box cover 141 covers the control box 149 to protect the control box 149. The control box cover 141 forms the exterior side surface together with the side surface of the case 110. The control box cover 141 is detachably coupled to the side surface of the case 110. The control box cover 141 can be separated downward from the case 110 upon opening of the door 130.

[0052]A ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure further comprises the outdoor air damper 171 disposed in the outdoor air flow path 111 to allow or stop the inflow of outdoor air, the ventilation damper 173 disposed in the ventilation flow path 113 to allow or stop the inflow of room air, the exhaust air damper 174 disposed in the exhaust air fan 164 to allow or stop the discharge of air, the supply air damper 172 disposed in the supply air fan 162 to allow or stop the discharge of air, the bypass damper 175 guiding room air in the ventilation flow path 113 to the exhaust path 114 when opened, the circulation damper 176 guiding room air in the exhaust path 114 to the outdoor air flow path 111 when opened, the outdoor air flange 151 connected with an outdoor air duct extending outdoors to allow outdoor air to be introduced thereinto, the ventilation flange 153 connected with a ventilation duct extending indoors to allow room air to be introduced thereinto, the exhaust air flange 154 connected with an exhaust air duct extending outdoors to allow air to be discharged to the outdoor side, the supply air flange 152 connected with a supply air duct extending indoors to allow air to be discharged to the indoor side, the outdoor air filter 181 purifying air introduced through the outdoor air flow path 111, and the ventilation filter 183 purifying air introduced into the ventilation flow path 113.

[0053]The outdoor air damper 171 is disposed in the outdoor air flow path 111 on the front left in the case 110. The outdoor air damper 171 is disposed between the outdoor air flange 151 and the total heat exchanger 190 to allow or stop the flow of air introduced from the outdoor side or to adjust the air volume thereof.

[0054]The ventilation damper 173 is disposed in the ventilation flow path 113 on the front right in the case 110. The ventilation damper 173 is disposed between the ventilation flange 153 and the total heat exchanger 190 to allow or stop the flow of air introduced from the indoor side or to adjust the air volume thereof.

[0055]The exhaust air damper 174 is disposed in the exhaust air flow path 114 on the rear left in the case 110. The exhaust air damper 174 is disposed at the discharge port of the exhaust air fan 164 to allow or stop the flow of air discharged from the exhaust air fan 164 to the outdoor side or to adjust the air volume thereof. The exhaust air damper 174 allows or stops the inflow of air from the outdoor side.

[0056]The supply air damper 172 is disposed in the supply air flow path 112 on the rear right in the case 110. The supply air damper 172 is disposed at the discharge port of the supply air fan 162 to allow or stop the flow of air discharged from the supply air fan 162 to the indoor side or to adjust the air volume thereof. The supply air damper 172 allows or stops the inflow of air from the indoor side.

[0057]The bypass damper 175 is disposed on the center right in the case 110. The bypass damper 175 is disposed between the ventilation flow path 113 and the supply air flow path 112 to guide air from the ventilation flow path 113 to the exhaust path 114 when opened.

[0058]The circulation damper 176 is disposed at the left center in the case 110. The circulation damper 176 is disposed between the exhaust path 114 and the outdoor air flow path 111 to guide air from the exhaust path 114 to the outdoor air flow path 111 when opened.

[0059]The external flange 151 is disposed on the front left outside of the case 110. The outdoor air flange 151 guides air introduced from the outdoor side to the outdoor air flow path 111. The outer flange 151 protrudes toward the left, but may protrude toward the front depending on an embodiment.

[0060]The ventilation flange 153 is disposed on the front right outside of the case 110. The ventilation flange 153 guides air introduced from the indoor side to the ventilation flow path 113. The ventilation flange 153 protrudes toward the right, but may protrude toward the front depending on an embodiment.

[0061]The exhaust air flange 154 is disposed on the rear left outside of the case 110. The exhaust air flange 154 guides air discharged from the exhaust air fan 164 to the outdoor side.

[0062]The supply air flange 152 is disposed on the rear right outside of the case 110. The supply air flange 152 guides air discharged from the supply air fan 162 to the indoor side.

[0063]The outdoor air filter 181 is disposed in the outdoor air flow path 111 on the front left in the case 110. The outdoor air filter 181 is disposed between the outdoor air damper 171 and the total heat exchanger 190 to purify air introduced from the outdoor side. The outdoor air filter 181 may be a variety of filters removing odors or harmful substances or filtering out fine substances, and in this embodiment, the outdoor filter 181 comprises an outdoor air dust filter 181a filtering out fine substances and an outdoor air deodorizing filter 181b removing odors, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0064]The ventilation filter 183 is disposed in the ventilation flow path 113 on the front right in the case 110. The ventilation filter 183 is disposed between the ventilation damper 173 and the total heat exchanger 190 to purify air introduced from the indoor side. The ventilation filter 183 may be a variety of filters removing odors or harmful substances or filtering out fine substances, and in this embodiment, the ventilation filter 183 is a dust filter filtering out fine substances.

[0065]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a ventilation system with the varied flange direction, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 6 is an internal structural diagram of a ventilation system with the varied flange direction, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a flange panel and a flange according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0066]Referring to FIG. 7, the case 110 has an outdoor air corner space 1161 formed as an open space at the corner of the portion into which outdoor air is introduced, and a ventilation corner space 1163 formed as an open space at the corner of the portion into which indoor air is introduced.

[0067]The flange panel 155 is coupled to the outdoor air corner space 1161 or the ventilation corner space 1163 of the case 110 to allow the direction in which outdoor air or indoor air is introduced to be changeable. The outdoor air flange 151 or the ventilation flange 153 is coupled to the flange panel 155, and the flange panel 155 is coupled to the case 110 to allow the direction in which the associated duct is coupled to be changed between two mutually orthogonal directions.

[0068]Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, outdoor air is introduced from left to right, and room air is introduced from right to left, into the case 110. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 where the directions of the flange panels 155 supporting the outdoor air flange 151 and the ventilation flange 153 is changed, outdoor air is introduced from the front to the rear, and room air is also introduced from the front to the rear, into the case 110.

[0069]Depending on the direction of the flange panel 155, the outdoor air flange 151 is disposed on the same side (left side) as the exhaust air flange 154 or on the same side (front side) as the control box cover 141 among the sides of the case 110. Depending on the direction of the flange panel 155, the ventilation flange 153 is disposed on the same side (right side) as the supply air flange 152 or on the same side (front side) as the control box cover 141 among the sides of the case 110.

[0070]The flange panels 155 are provided as a pair, and are coupled with the outdoor air flange 151 and the ventilation flange 153, respectively. A pair of flange panels 155 are disposed adjacent to the left and right sides of the control box cover 141. That is, the control cover 141 is disposed between the pair of flange panels 155.

[0071]The pair of flange panels 155 are respectively disposed in the outdoor air flow path 111 and the ventilation flow path 113. The outdoor air damper 171 disposed in the outdoor air flow path 111 is disposed toward the corner of the flange panel 155, and the ventilation damper 173 disposed in the ventilation flow path 113 is disposed toward the corner of the flange panel 155. Thereby, even if the direction of the outdoor air flange 151 or the ventilation flange 153 is changed, air can be smoothly introduced into the outdoor air damper 171 or the ventilation damper 173.

[0072]The flange panel 155 is an L-shaped panel formed to be vertically symmetrical with respect to the horizontal plane. Thereby, the flange panel 155 can be coupled to the case 110 even after it is rotated so that its upper portion and lower portion are inverted with each other.

[0073]Referring to FIG. 8, the flange panel 155 is formed with two sides 1551, 1552 equal to each other in size and orthogonal to each other. The flange panel 155 has a flange hole 1555 formed in one side 1551 of the two sides 1551, 1552, through which outdoor air or room air passes. The outdoor air flange 151 or the ventilation flange 153 is coupled to one side 1551 of the two sides 1551, 1552, in which the flange hole 1555 is formed. On one side 1551 of the flange panel 155, there is formed a panel boss 1556, to which the outdoor air flange 151 or the ventilation flange 153 is coupled. The panel boss 1556 is formed in the flange hole 1555. In the outdoor air flange 151 and the ventilation flange 153, there is formed a boss fastening hole 1501 into which the panel boss 1556 is inserted.

[0074]The flange panel 155 has a pair of panel fastening portions 1553 formed at the upper end and the lower end and fastened to the case 110. The pair of panel fastening portions 1553 are formed at the upper end and the lower end of the corner where the two sides 1551, 1552 of the flange panel 155 meet. The pair of panel fastening portions 1553 are disposed symmetrically with respect to the horizontal plane. In the corners of the upper surface and the lower surface forming the outdoor air corner space 1161 or the ventilation corner space 1163 of the case 110, a plurality of case fastening portions 115 are formed (see FIG. 7), and the panel fastening portion 1553 and the case fastening portion 115 are coupled to each other by a fastening means such as a bolt.

[0075]The flange panel 155 has a plurality of panel ribs 1554 formed on the upper end and the lower end of the two sides 1551, 1552 of the flange panel 155. The plurality of panel ribs 1554 are inserted into a plurality of case protrusions 117 formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the case 110.

[0076]The flange panel 155 has a pair of panel notches 1557 formed at both ends of the two sides 1551, 1552 of the flange panel 155 in the shape of the letter ‘□’ so as to be engaged with the case 110.

[0077]In the above description, the flange panel 155 is described as being applied to the outdoor air flange 151 or the ventilation flange 153 to make variable the direction of the outdoor air flange 151 or the ventilation flange 153, and, however, depending on an embodiment, the flange panel 155 may be applied to the supply air flange 152 or the exhaust air flange 154 to make variable the direction of the supply air flange 152 or the exhaust air flange 154.

[0078]While the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and, rather, various modifications or changes can be made to the preferred embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as claimed in the claims, and thus these modified embodiments should not be understood as being separate from the technical idea or prospect of the present disclosure.